this excerpt...
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After the interview, a White House official said U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed. Officially, the U.S. maintains "strategic ambiguity" on whether American forces would defend Taiwan, but the Taiwan Relations Act obligates the U.S. to help equip Taiwan to defend itself.
That's what happened earlier this month when the State Department announced a $1.1 billion sale of military equipment to the island democracy.
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The key word there is "AMBIGUITY"...along with the "Walk Back", this administration is upping the ante on what the U.S. MIGHT DO if China takes the military approach to resolving its conundrum wrt Taiwan...should have a bit of a 'chilling effect' on their strategy for eliminating a democracy so close to home.